Om

Osho, why was Om chosen as a symbol? What are its special features?

There are two reasons Om was chosen. First, the search was for a word that has no meaning, to which you cannot attach meaning; because if you do, it falls on this side of the fifth. A word was needed that, in one sense, is meaningless. Or say: beyond meaning. Both are the same. All our words are meaningful. We coin words precisely so they bear meaning. If there is no meaning, what need is there for a word? We make words to speak, and the purpose of speaking is that I may convey something to you; when I speak, there should be a hint of meaning for you. When people returned from the seventh—or went to the seventh—they felt: whatever word we make, if it carries meaning, it will immediately fall before the fifth body. The dictionary will write out its meaning; people will read and think they have…

Beloved master, I am always intrigued by eastern scriptures that begin with om, shantih shantih shantih and end with om, shantih shantih shantih. Would you please talk about this?

Maneesha, the East has approached reality in an almost diametrically opposite way to the West. First, the simple meaning of the word should be understood, and then all the implications. All Eastern scriptures begin with OM, Shantih shantih shantih and they also end with the same. OM is the symbol of the universal heartbeat; it is not a word. And as you come closer and closer to the universal heartbeat, the by-product is a deepening silence. Shantih means silence and it is always repeated three times because by the time you reach to the fourth, you are no more -- just the silence has remained. You have disappeared as an entity separate from the universe. The West has not been able to begin even a single scripture with this intention. It is understandable. They never went into the deeper communion between your heart and the bigger heart of the universe.…

What are the distinctive characteristics of aum for which it has been chosen to represent the seventh plane?

Now as I said before, each word has a pattern of its own. When we use a certain word a particular pattern forms within the mind. If someone meditates on aum, when it resounds on the fourth plane the corresponding picture will begin to manifest within. This is how all seed mantras were discovered. When the resonance of a particular chakra is caught by a meditator in meditation, the seed mantra of that chakra is revealed. This is how these seed mantras have been formed, and aum is the ultimate seed. It is not the seed of any particular chakra; rather, it is the symbol of the seventh which is the infinite or the eternal. So in this way the word aum was hit upon. And when it tallied with the experiences of thousands of seekers who gave it their approval, this word was accepted. It did not come into…

Osho, yesterday you spoke a little about Om in reference to the seventh body. In that context, a small question is: which chakras are affected by the vibrations of A, U, and M, and how might they be used by a seeker? What is the relation of these chakric effects to the seventh chakra?

Even so, my constant view remains that Om is to be used only as a symbol, not as a practice. Other devices can be found for practice. Such a sacred word as Om should not be profaned by using it as a means. Therefore many misunderstand me. Many people come to me and say, “If we chant Om, why do you forbid it?” Perhaps it seems to them that I am an enemy of Om. But I know that they are the enemies; because such a supremely sacred word should not be used as a means. In truth, it is not a word meant to be spoken by our tongue. In truth, it is not to be uttered by our body. It begins where the tongue loses meaning and the body becomes useless; there is its resonance. And we do not make that resonance—it happens; it is known; it is…